mahogany ; d.m

29 - gone

CW: this chapter may be triggering for some - contains graphic scenes of a sensitive nature

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Athena struggled desperately as she stumbled and staggered through the grounds without even considering to look back; unbearable, excruciating, unspeakable pain drowning her insides.

'Nothing can be worse than this', her mind screamed as a great panic consumed her.

It went without saying she could have stopped running and collapsed to the floor hoping her friends would do her body justice if she were to be dying.

But she was certain that she was not the one who was dying.

She was very much aware that Hermione, Harry and Ron had followed her out of the stands, as they were shouting her name after her. But Athena had to keep running, something was very wrong with her child.

Another gruesomely vile shock of pain rushed through her stomach.

'I need to save her', she thought, running restlessly disregarding the nauseating agony.

She entered the castle, running and running and running without looking back.

Her feet took her to the nearest girls bathroom where she went straight into one of the stalls.

.

Hermione, Ron and Harry were sprinting at their fastest pace trying to get to Athena as soon as they could. They had been quite a way behind her. From down the corridor, they could hear the sickening screams of Athena coming from the girls bathroom. It was abhorrent. It sounded as if she were being ripped open and mutilated.

Hermione had been quicker than the boys and reached the bathroom first, ordering them to go and get Madam Pomfrey. They obliged right away and ran to the hospital wing, desperately relieved to be getting away from the harrowing, gut wrenching screams. Hermione watched them run down the corridor, bracing herself to enter the bathroom and face the monstrosities on the other side of the door. 

She walked into the bathroom to see Athena sunken on the floor of one of the stalls. Her screaming had stopped and all sound that remained was her unhitched breathing. Her legs were completely limp, blood surrounded her in pools and more of the red substance oozed from her, adding to the abundance.

Athena was barely awake, her face sallow and lifeless, beads of sweat dotted over her forehead and her eyes were staring down at the small, bloody mess in her arms.

The baby was gone.

A single tear fell from Athena's eye. As it trickled down her cheek, it was almost as if that one tear was the last sign of life left inside of her, which had now escaped.

Hermione had no idea what to do. She stared at her best friend's still body in unfathomable shock. She wasn't unconscious yet, but it seemed she soon would be.

She rushed over to Athena without second thought, pulling her exhausted body to sit up straight, trying to prevent her from falling and hitting her head on the bathroom floor. Athena's eyes tiresomely drooped, without any effort to stay open.

"'Thena! Athena! You have to stay awake ok?" Hermione screamed, grabbing onto her arms and gently shaking some life into her.

There weren't going to be two deaths today.

.

The loudness of Hermione's voice managed to kick some life back into Athena. Her eyes opened wider with a flash, moving her vision from her baby's corpse to Hermione's worrisome face, where tears were gliding down her cheeks.